A safe and recoverable firmware update method which for a remote embedded electronic device and the device thereof. The method includes reading an update status in a flash memory, and determining the update status. If the update status is “DEFAULT”, a default firmware is executed. If the update status is not “DEFAULT”, the update status is further determined if it is “UPDATED”. If the update status is “UPDATED”, a configuration area is set as “BOOTING” and a new firmware is executed. If the update status is not “UPDATED”, the update status is determined if it is “RUNNEW”. If the update status is “RUNNEW”, a new firmware and an update validation method are executed. If the update validation method gets an update completion validation message, the update status is set as “RUNNEW”. If the update status is not “RUNNEW”, a default firmware is executed.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A firmware update method for an electronic device, wherein the method comprises: executing a boot loader for an initialization configuration; reading an update status from a configuration area of a memory; determining the update status; executing a default firmware in response to the update status determined as a “DEFAULT” status; and executing a further determination of the update status in response to the update status determined not as the “DEFAULT” status wherein the further determination of the update status comprises: determining if the update status is an “UPDATED” status; setting the update status as a “BOOTING” status, and executing a new firmware in response to the update status determined as the “UPDATED” status; and executing a even further determination of the update status in response to the update status determined not as the “UPDATED” status, wherein the even further determination of the update status comprises: determining if the update status is a “RUNNEW” status; executing the new firmware and executing an update validation method after booting up in response to the update status determined as the “RUNNEW” status; and executing the default firmware in response to the update status determined not as the “RUNNEW” status, wherein the update validation method comprises: reading the update status from the configuration area of the memory; determining if the update status is the “UPDATED” status; and executing further procedures after determining if the update status is the “UPDATED” status, wherein the further procedures comprise: terminating the update validation method in response to the update status determined not as the “BOOTING” status; checking if conditions of re-downloading the new firmware are satisfied in response to the update status determined as the “BOOTING” status; and executing an even further procedure after determining if the conditions of re-downloading the new firmware are satisfied, wherein the even further procedure comprises: issuing an update validation completion message in response to the conditions of re-downloading the new firmware being satisfied.
2. The firmware update method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conditions of re-downloading the new firmware comprise establishing a connection path between the electronic device and a server for acquiring a capability of re-downloading the new firmware.
3. The firmware update method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the procedure of determining if the conditions of re-downloading the new firmware are satisfied comprises executing tasks selected from a group consisting of checking system peripheral devices, checking the memory operation, and checking the memory size of the electronic device.
4. The firmware update method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises establishing a connection path between the electronic device and a server via Internet, and downloading the new firmware from the server.
5. The firmware update method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises establishing a connection path between the electronic device and a server via a dial-up connection, and downloading the new firmware from the server.
6. The firmware update method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises establishing a connection path between the electronic device and a server via a local area network interface, and downloading the new firmware from the server.
7. The firmware update method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises establishing a connection path between the electronic device and a server via a wireless network interface, and downloading the new firmware from the server.
8. The firmware update method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the memory is one of a plurality of read only memory (ROM) of the electronic device.
9. The firmware update method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ROM is a flash read only memory.
10. A firmware update method for an electronic device, wherein the method comprises: executing a boot loader for an initialization configuration; determining if an update status of a configuration area of a memory has entered an “UPDATED” status, setting the update status as a “BOOTING” status and executing a new firmware in response to the update status determined as a “UPDATED” status; and executing an update validation method, setting the update status to a “RUNNEW” status, driving the electronic device to run the new firmware in response to the update validation method receiving an update validation completion message, and executing a default firmware in response to the update validation method not receiving the update validation completion message, wherein the update validation method comprises: determining if the update status is the “BOOTING” status, and terminating the update validation method in response to the update status determined not as the “BOOTING” status; and determining if conditions of re-downloading the new firmware are satisfied in response to the update status determined as the “BOOTING” status, and executing an update confirmation procedure, wherein the update confirmation procedure comprises: issuing the update validation completion message in response to the conditions of re-downloading the new firmware being satisfied, and setting the update status as the “RUNNER” status.
11. The firmware update method of the electronic device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the conditions of re-downloading the new firmware are adapted for establishing a connection path between the electronic device and a server for acquiring a capability of re-downloading the new firmware.
12. The firmware update method of the electronic device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the procedure of determining if conditions of re-downloading the new firmware are satisfied comprises executing tasks selected from a group consisting of checking system peripheral devices, checking the memory operation, and checking the memory size of the electronic device.
13. The firmware update method of the electronic device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises establishing a connection path between the electronic device and a server via Internet, and downloading the new firmware from the server.
14. The firmware update method of the electronic device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises downloading the new firmware from the server via a universal serial bus interface.
15. The firmware update method of the electronic device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises downloading the new firmware from the server via a storage device interface.
16. The firmware update method of the electronic device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises establishing a connection path between the electronic device and the server via a local area network interface, and downloading the new firmware from the server.
17. The firmware update method of the electronic device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises establishing a connection path between the electronic device and the server via a wireless local area network interface, and downloading the new firmware from the server.
18. An electronic device for executing the firmware update method as claimed in claim 11 comprising: a processor; a random access memory (RAM); a flash memory, the flash memory comprising four areas, wherein the four areas comprising: a first area configured for storing a boot loader; a second area configured for storing configuration parameters; a third area configured for storing a default firmware; and a fourth area configured for storing a new firmware; and an input/output interface, wherein the input/output interface comprises a network interface; wherein the electronic device executes the firmware update method as in claim 10 .
19. The electronic device as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the boot loader is adapted to configure an initialization of the electronic device, and further adapted to program the electronic device to: determine if an update status of the second area of the memory of the electronic device has entered an “UPDATED” status; set the updated status as a “BOOTING” status, and execute a new firmware in response to the update status has entered the “UPDATED” status; and execute an update validation method, and further execute the following procedures: set the update status as a “RUNNEW” status and execute the new firmware in response to the update validation method receiving an update validation completion message; and execute the new firmware in response to the update validation method receiving the update validation completion message.
20. The electronic device as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the update validation method specially programs the electronic device to: determine the updated status has entered the “UPDATED” status; and terminate the update validation method in response to the update status having not entered the “UPDATED” status; and check conditions of re-downloading the new firmware are satisfied in response to the update status having entered the “UPDATED” status; and issue the update validation completion message in response to the conditions of re-downloading the new firmware are satisfied.
21. The electronic device as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the conditions of re-downloading the new firmware are used for establishing a connection path between the electronic device and a server for acquiring a capability of re-downloading the new firmware.
22. The electronic device as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the procedure of determining if conditions of re-downloading the new firmware are satisfied comprises executing tasks selected from a group consisting of checking system peripheral devices, checking the memory operation, and checking the memory size of the electronic device.
23. The electronic device as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the input/output interface further comprises: a universal serial bus interface; and an external mass storage device interface.
24. The electronic device as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the conditions of re-downloading the new firmware further comprises establishing a connection path between the electronic device and a server via an Internet, and acquiring the capability of re-downloading the new firmware.
25. The electronic device as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the conditions of re-downloading the new firmware further comprises establishing a connection path between the electronic device and a server via a dial-up network, and acquiring the capability of re-downloading the new firmware.
26. The electronic device as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the conditions of re-downloading the new firmware further comprises establishing a connection path between the electronic device and a server via a local area network, and acquiring the capability of re-downloading the new firmware.
27. The electronic device as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the conditions of re-downloading the new firmware further comprises establishing a connection path between the electronic device and a server via a wireless network, and acquiring the capability of re-downloading the new firmware.
28. The electronic device as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the conditions of re-downloading the new firmware further comprises establishing a connection path between the electronic device and a server via a metropolitan area network, and acquiring the capability of re-downloading the new firmware.
29. The electronic device as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the conditions of re-downloading the new firmware further comprises establishing a connection path between the electronic device and a server via a wide area network, and acquiring the capability of re-downloading the new firmware.
30. The electronic device as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the conditions of re-downloading the new firmware further comprises establishing a connection path between the electronic device and a server via an optical fiber network, and acquiring the capability of re-downloading the new firmware.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
May 19, 2009
April 17, 2012
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.